


I'm In Love With My Best Friend

by ChandlersDemon



Category: Heathers (1988), Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Chandler is a fucking cutie, Chandlmara - Freeform, Duke isn't a cunt, Eating Disorders, F/F, Fluff, Mac is an adorable Freshman with no clue, Origin Story, READ THE FIRST NOTE FOR A DESCRIPTION, Romance, Smut, Tagging is honestly really hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-05-19 10:36:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14872140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChandlersDemon/pseuds/ChandlersDemon
Summary: "Heather, I-"As much as she wanted the words to leave her mouth, when the older girl turned around and looked down upon the Freshman, she was frozen, unable to utter a word."It's said and done, Heather.."With those simple words, Heather turned her back on the younger girl, leaving her alone in the bathroom.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Scrunchies. (Lol I'mma keep that now, because honestly, I love it. It's like having an army, but not. xD)  
> I've had the outline for this story sitting in my drafts since April 24th, and I finally decided to share it with the public!  
> I originally had someone doing art for each chapter, but something has come up and sadly, I'm not sure as to whether or not she'd be up for the task, and I will never ask due to personal problems she is dealing with, so here we are now. 
> 
> This AU is basically an origin story for the Heathers.  
> It will be following, Duke, Chandler, and Mac throughout their school years. In all honesty, I think there are only two chapters where they're actually in school. Right now I only have 11 chapters outlined, but if it is truly liked, I may continue it for the public's liking. I literally only write for entertainment of others, I love getting all the comments saying that some of you guys instantly click on my story if you see I posted a new one, it's amazing and I always want to keep that going to give you more to read!  
> Most of the story is explained throughout the chapters, so there shouldn't be much I need to explain here. 
> 
> ~Any questions, comments, or suggestions?  
> -Feel free to leave a comment! 
> 
> ~Carry on!  
> -Chandler

Smiling brightly at the students who walked by, Heather McNamara strode through the crowds with no problem.

It was her first day at Westerburg High and she couldn't have been more excited. When her mother told her that she would enjoy the school, she didn't believe her fully. Now, smiling at each new student much like herself, she was rather pleased she decided to come here. It was a first to be out of the house for a really long period of time, a part of her didn't even want to get up today, but she was glad that she had decided to. Coming to Westerburg may have been one of the only good choices her parents had made for her.. But, she wouldn't let their choices control her life any longer. 

With her purse in tow, Heather walked through the cafeteria with ease, apologizing here and there for the people that nearly bumped into her. It wasn't her fault that they had almost knocked into her, she had been walking in a straight line that had no zigzags here or there, she couldn't have possibly hit someone on her way to her destination. Ahead of her, she could see three options as to where to sit. 

A table to the far right housed quiet people, they seemed like the people that weren't all that much up for conversation. The geeks and nerds, if you might stereotype them.  
Heather wasn't one to stereotype, but she wasn't going to kid herself when she saw a kid bring out a monitor and begin hooking up a Wii U to the computer monitor, shouting about how he was about to hold a Mario Kart 8 tournament. It sounded joyful and McNamara thought to join, but her mind was instantly changed as she saw students flood the area like a mob pit during a My Chemical Romance concert. Giggling softly, she turned her attention elsewhere. 

At the far left, bright red and white coats caught her bright eyes. Jocks. It was no surprise that there would be a table designated to Westerburg's football team, they had quite the reputation from what the student's murmured about during her English class. Two students caught her eyes rather quickly as they fist bumped and turned around to face two girls that had come up behind them. The girls were clad in red and black uniforms, the school's logo placed on the front. Heather quickly assumed that the girls were cheerleaders, seeing as the outfits were quite skimpy. Why they were in their uniforms during lunch? She couldn't exactly decipher. The minute the men locked lips with the girls and grabbed them roughly, pushing them into the table, Heather averted her gaze, half thinking to put her hand up to block the scene from her view. 

Lastly, her bright blue eyes fell upon the table in the middle. It housed two girls. They didn't seem all that talkative, rather quiet from what she could tell. Both girls paid no mind to the world around them, their eyes focused on far more important things. A brunette was on the seat on the left of the table, one leg crossed over the other as she licked her finger and flipped the pages to her book, Moby Dick. The girl was clad in bright green and Heather couldn't help but give a small smile. Despite not knowing the girl, Heather believed the color fit the bookworm quite well.  Looking away from the brunette, Heather's eyes came to rest on the strawberry blonde. She tilted he head ever so slightly as she watched the girl slide her finger up on the screen of her phone, more than likely sifting through posts on some sort of social media. The girl was clad in a scarlet red, the color matching her very much. It complimented her hair rather much and Heather bit her lip ever so slightly as she began to walk towards the table. 

It hadn't been her intention to invade the girls' privacy, nor had it been her intention to try and scare them away from the table so she could have it for herself, that was far from the girl's intentions. Her mind began racing with each clap of her white heels against the tile floor beneath her, Heather's smile never faltered as she made her way across the cafeteria. A part of her wanted to stop in her tracks and be reasonable. The girls looked like upperclassmen, juniors or seniors is what Heather had chosen to assume. Maturity just seemed to be radiating from the table in general as the young blonde approached the round blue table. 

"Do you girls mind if I sit with you?" 

Heather's heart stopped as both girls looked up from their respective items. The brunette's piercing brown gaze seemed to cut through her confidence as her brows furrowed slightly, averting her gaze to the blonde. Her's was no better. Meeting an icy silver gaze was the last thing Heather had expected, gulping, she quickly tried to think of an excuse in her head to get away. 

_Not even a day into school and somehow I already have people that want to kill me. Great.._ _Looks like instead of joining the Cheer Team, I'll be joining the beat up nerds at the bottom of the South East stairwell..._

"Knock yourself out." 

When the blonde spoke up, Heather's eyes widened slightly. As she looked to the brunette, the girl in green gave a small shrug, looking to the strawberry blonde herself as if they both hadn't heard her correctly. 

Heather was quick to take a seat, not wanting to get on the blonde's bad side, which she assumed was more than bad, maybe even, like,  _mega_ bad. She definitely struck Heather as that type.

Being the eager freshman she is, Heather was rather quick to try and start a conversation after bringing out her lunch which consisted of a platter of California roll sushi. The silence was getting the best of her and seemed rather awkward ever since she had sat down, it was only best to try and break the silence with some sort of banter, at least that's what she believed. 

"So, what's your guys' names?" 

The green clad girl's eyebrows rose slightly at the young blonde and she slowly placed a bookmark in her book, a mint green tassel hanging over the book's cover after she closed it. Placing the book on the table, the brunette ran a hand back through her brown locks, tightening her ponytail as she spoke. Her voice was definitely all that Heather had imagined. Just the right amounts of sass and bitch to it, but also a reserved quietness that she was expecting. The girl seemed rather quiet, but from the way she spoke, she seemed rather arrogant and rude. It was something Heather hadn't expected at all, but as her mother always told her,  _Life will always throw a curve ball, at you, you just have to catch it and accept it for what it is._

"Heather Duke." 

The brunette stuck her hand out for the girl to take and was instantly a bit taken back by the way the blonde let out a laugh. Raising a brow at the blonde who was laughing at her name from what she presumed, she turned her eyes to look to the strawberry blonde beside her with a small frown on her features.

As Heather noticed the way the girl in red had placed her phone roughly on the table, she was quick to stop her laughter, fear turning her eyes a brighter shade of blue as she rested her hand over her mouth in an effort to calm herself down.  Her heart had leaped to her throat and she was sure her stomach was twisting in on itself in an effort to kill itself off. She didn't mean to offend the girl. Seeing as the only thing the girl spoke was her name and Heather had just burst out laughing, she knew it was rather rude and quickly began to find the words, now being forced to look between both girls as the one in red seemed to be burning her alive in her mind. 

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you, really, I didn't! It's just funny-"

"What's so funny about my name?" 

The other Heather seemed to be glaring just as the girl in red was at McNamara. She gulped audibly and clenched her chopsticks between her fingers, placing them on top of her sushi as she forced words out of her mouth. Her hands went up quickly, shaking her head to assure the girl that nothing was wrong with her name. 

"No, no! Nothing is wrong or funny about your name. I just find it funny-" 

"But you find something funny." 

The minute the strawberry blonde spoke, Heather felt her heart skip a beat. The world seemed to freeze in that moment and the low tone to the girl's voice was definitely something that Heather hadn't been expecting. Upon seeing another blonde, she assumed she would have one of those high pitched voices like in that movie, Legally Blonde.

_Jesus.._ _Mom was right._ _You really can't judge books by their covers.._

Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, Heather tried to speak, her voice coming out a little weaker than she would have liked.  
Timidly, if you may.

"Well, y-yeah.. I do find it funny." 

Looking between the two girls as they looked to one another with raised brows and then back to Heather, she really started to believe she should've tried her hand at Mario Kart. Talking to these girls had turned into a real crap show and she wasn't sure if she'd be making it out of the cafeteria without a couple of bruises and scratch marks by the end of the conversation. 

Trying to muster up the courage to speak once more, Heather was forced to stop herself as the girl in red spoke up before her. 

"Then I'm sure you'll find it quite funny that my name is also, Heather." 

Heather's eyes widened and she couldn't stop the excited squeal that left her. She couldn't contain her excitement any longer as she looked between the two Heathers. It was as if a switch was just flicked and she went from terrified to overjoyed and ecstatic.

Heather and Heather looked between each other before looking back to the girl with no name. Their looks were something both girls had come to understand since their freshman year. 

_What the fuck is wrong with people?_

Returning their attention to the girl in yellow, who if they might add, had no name, Duke narrowed her eyes. Her anger seemed to fill within her, more than likely surpassing her friend's beside her. She was known to be a little dramatic at times, but when it came to someone insulting her and even more her friend, she definitely was going to have something to say. Before she was able to get a word out, the bubbling blonde beat her to it. 

"I do I find it hilarious, but not in a bad way. I don't think you can really find anything bad to be hilarious, but that's not really our topic of discussion. I can't really find your names funny, because my name is also Heather." 

Upon Heather finishing her sentence, she hadn't realized the snarkiness that had come within her final statement. She hadn't meant for it to come out as rude as it did, she wasn't trying to start a fight and be sent home in a body bag. Her natural her just came out is what she told herself rapidly in her head as she shifted slightly beneath the girls' gazes before they turned to look to one another. It was then that she heard the faintest sound.  _Laughter._

Looking between the two Heathers, Heather started to let out quiet, nervous giggles of her own, unsure as to whether or not she should join in the girls' laughter. The Heathers looked between one another before back to the Heather in yellow, their eyes brightening momentarily and Heather widened her eyes, straightening her back with a bright smile as the Heather in red spoke. 

"You aren't being serious, are you?" 

Heather nodded her head, quick to reply to the strawberry blonde. She already learned that the blonde had a knack for interrupting people, so Heather took it as a sign that she was impatient. The way that the girl felt the need to interject into a sentence if it went off topic, it was definitely a sign of the girl having little to no patience. 

"Yep! All my trophies at home definitely say, Heather McNamara." 

The Heather in green let out a laugh, shaking her head as she looked at her book, resting her hand on it before she looked back up. She was nearly at a loss for words, the entire situation was quite stimulating and she was rather glad to have taken a break from reading about Fedallah's death. 

"That's great." 

Heather beamed at the girl's words, her pearly white teeth being shown off to both girls as her laughs seemed to echo off the box they had created around them. The world was shut out when it was only them. Heather had started to see quickly how the girls had been able to ignore the bustling school around them, it all seemed to melt away when they were engaged in one thing or another. Her fear seemed to melt away as she fell into a comfort zone around the girls, no longer scared of saying the wrong thing or somehow offending them without her own knowledge until the action had been completed. It was a reassuring thing to hear both girls laugh as she gave her own name, they were finally starting to realize what Heather had found so funny and it was great to know that they shared her thoughts. Heather assumed that she was slowly gaining the girls' time and felt as though she was worth enough to be in their circle. Once the Heather clad in red spoke up from their laughter, quieting the girls down, she knew she had been correct.

"Heather, Heather, and Heather." 

With each name rolling off of her tongue, she let out a smile. It was a first to be surrounded by a group of people that quieted down at her words. They actually shushed themselves down to listen to her and she felt as though she was special. It felt good to know that these people were willing to stop what they were doing just to listen to her say their names aloud as if they hadn't heard them a thousand times. Heather Duke was definitely someone who was bound to do it. Seeing as the girl had been Heather's friend for sometime, she expected nothing less from the brunette. Upon turning away from looking at the girl to lock eyes with the newer Heather, a smile curled at her red lips as she adjusted her legs beneath the table. Heather McNamara. The girl had looked at her as if at any moment she would've killed her before she had simply given out her name. It was a first to see someone look a her with fear clouding their eyes.. Heather liked it. The feeling it gave her, the feeling of being empowered and able to walk over people as she damn well pleased. In the future, she supposed that she would have more opportunities to be able to test out her theories on how to regain that great feeling gain, but for now, her silver gaze was locked with Heather's blue gaze. The girl's eyes seemed to twinkle at her and Heather could feel heat slowly entering her face as they sat in mere silence for a few seconds, just looking at one another. Heather's laugh had been one that Heather hadn't heard in a while. A laugh that was filled with genuine joy and pure excitement. It had been sometime since she had heard something so pure and innocent and a part of her wanted to take the girl away from the world and save her from this horrid place, but her thoughts quickly turned as she heard Duke as a question from beside her. 

"Are you new to the school? I don't think I've seen you around before, and trust me, I'd definitely remember meeting another Heather." 

Heather's bright blue eyes sparkled as she gave the girl a bright grin, her enthusiasm making the entire table smile. She was aware that she was overly excited to have made new friends, and have their name be her own! It was fun to have people asking about her, have them be interested in her. In her old school in California, she couldn't recall anyone asking her any questions other than when she was free to do something or if she wanted to go out on a date. She couldn't recall having any nice moments like this where she was able to just sit down and chat with people that weren't interested in something other than her body. Back in California, she was worshiped, she had been Gusta High's goddess. Everyone literally snapped their necks when she would enter school.. Here, they didn't do that. And hopefully they never would. 

"I just recently moved back here actually. So, yes! I'm new to Westerburg, and so far it is a really nice school! Everyone seems so nice!" 

Hearing those words leave the girl's mouth were the last words Duke had expected to hear out of her. The girl was bubbly no doubt and seemed quite intelligent from the way she spoke, but the school was far from nice. Nice, was someone not having you pay to do their homework, not tripping you if you weren't with the Populars. That's what nice was.. Heather knew that the girl was new, she had to be a freshman no doubt with her enthusiasm, but Heather wasn't going to assume anything. Sharing a look with her friend clad in red, both seemed to share the same worried look before turning back to the girl in yellow, composing themselves expertly. 

"I'm glad you like it here." 

The Heather in red spoke up and Heather's eyes quickly averted from Duke's brown gaze to connect with the strawberry blonde's own silver one. She was a little surprised to hear those words from the girl. Having seen the cafeteria and walking in through the front doors this morning, to be greeted by the principal, and then walked to class by the vice principal...

_Is it not all it's cut out to be?_

"It means that you probably won't drop out before Sophomore Year is over." 

Hearing the girl mention Sophomore Year, Heather was quick to speak up. She definitely wasn't a sophomore and she wasn't about to be mistaken for one. It was one thing to seem as though you're older, it was another to act as if you are. Heather would also never drop out. Her straight A+'s across the board were definitely an indication that she wouldn't. She saw no reason in dropping out, and getting into college was a must when it came to her family. 

"Definitely! I have no reason to drop out, that's for sure. I'm only a freshman, so it would be stupid to just quite now. Especially if I already am in line for scholarships and all that." 

Raising a brow at the girl, Duke looked to her friend before returning her gaze to the girl in yellow. A freshman with scholarships? 

_You've got to be pulling on my dick.._

"You already have scholarships?" 

The way Duke seemed rather impressed made Heather proud as she sat up a little straighter, puffing out her chest ever so slightly as if she held some sort of superiority over the girls. She was definitely sure she didn't. 

"Yep! I'm bound to be accepted into a college Senior Year and going back and forth between schools. I might actually stay on campus at the college, but it depends on which one can snag me first." 

The Heather in red leaned back slightly, a small chuckle coming from her as she began to shake her head. The way her head shook and how she seemed a little disinterested caught Heather off guard. Duke had been pretty excited for the girl from the way she had asked about her scholarships eagerly, but this Heather seemed to not care one bit.. Or maybe she did? The way she shook her head ad seemed to laugh at the situation, Heather really couldn't decipher the answer. It was when Heather spoke up that Heather realized why the girl was laughing. 

"Intelligent and beautiful. That's something you don't get very often in blondes." 

Heather couldn't stop the small giggle that left her as she shrugged her shoulders. It was true. The stereotype for blondes was that they were normally stunning, but always airheads and as stupid as could be. It was something Heather always remembered being picked on about when she was in elementary school. A piece of her mind trailed off, wondering if she had ever been in the same school as the girls at some point, just in a different class. It pulled at her mind for a moment, before Duke spoke up, breaking through her thoughts and pulling her back to reality. 

"How old are you, Heather?" 

The question was out of nowhere, but Heather assumed it was because the way she was acting. Her personality shot between being mature, and acting like a complete child. So, she assumed that was why Heather had asked the question. She had no problem answering it, everyone needs to know their friends' ages, right? 

"I'm 16." 

"Bullshit." 

The girl in red sat forward, her arms folded beneath her chest as she folded one leg over the other. Her eyes widened ever so slightly as she let out a small chuckle. 

_16? Really?_

"I-I am!" 

When the girl stammered out her response, Heather arched a brow at the girl. She was amused with how the girl went from being comfortable around the Heather in red to being fearful of saying the wrong thing. It was something Heather was slowly learning to control when she was in the girl's presence and she assumed it would become useful down the line. Genuinely, Heather didn't think the girl was joking when she said she was 16. It was what she had expected if she were being completely honest. The only reason she had a small problem with the girl's age, was because she herself was also 16. She wasn't about to be the youngest out of the three of them. She was already younger than Duke, she wasn't about to be younger than this bubbling Heather. 

"When's your birthday?" 

"September 16th, 2002." 

The girl in red smirked at this, leaning back. Every time she leaned back, Heather swore she was doing it just to stare down at her, because she would straighten her back ever so slightly. It wasn't noticeable to anyone not paying close attention, but to someone who's lived their life reading body language, Heather was quick to pick up on the girl's power plays. 

"Yours?" 

The girl in red took a moment before answering, a snicker falling from her lips as she replied to the blonde in yellow. 

"June 12th, 2001." 

Heather smiled at this. The strawberry blonde was older than her. Heather had expected nothing less. With the way the other Heather had acted and presented herself, it had been no secret to Heather since the start. Looking to the Heather clad in green, Heather smiled brightly to her as she asked her question. 

"What about you, Heather?" 

The giggle that left the girl with her question caused Heather to smile as she replied to the girl. It was a first to be around someone so cheery, the girl was far different from Heather, so it was nice for a change in the atmosphere. 

"I'm 17. My birthday is April 12th, 2000." 

"Awesome!" 

Grinning at the girl in green, Heather couldn't help, but laugh at the girl's display of excitement. In Heather's opinion, it seemed that the girl never had much interaction with people in her last school. Even if she had, it didn't seem to be as engaging or as nice as it was here. Tilting her head slightly as she straightened her scarlet red blazer, Heather took her phone off the table before going to speak, but being interrupted by the sound of the bell echoing throughout the cafeteria. 

People began running towards the doors, some tripping over others and Heather's head snapped to where she heard a small crash from the corner that housed all the nerds. Turning back to the Heathers, she saw the girls begin to get up, gathering their respecting pieces from the table. A small frown came to rest on the blonde's face. She was disappointed that they hadn't said much more or she hadn't learned much more than the girls' names and their birthdays. Heck, she didn't even know what grade they were in! She assumed they were sophomores from what the Heather in red had said, but she wasn't someone who assumed things. 

"Where are you off to, Heather?" 

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Heather's eyes widened as she had begun to walk towards the cafeteria door. Heather Duke on her left, and- Wait.

_I didn't even learn Heather's last name! Wow.. Guess we have a lot to talk about next lunch period._

"I'm going to Biology." 

"Honors?" 

"Mhm." 

Heather smiled at that. She assumed correctly and it filled her with some sort of pride, seeing that the new edition to their circle was rather intelligent. It made her feel a surge of pride run through her as she patted the girl on the shoulder. 

"You know where you're going I presume?" 

The blonde nodded her head as she turned to the girls once they reached the double doors leading out of the cafeteria and into the hallways of Westerburg. Her enthusiasm was astounding.. Heather could't help but smile at how excited the girl was to probably go dissect a frog. 

"Room 433. Two lefts from here, past the front office, up the Southeast stairwell, and then two rights and I'll be there." 

Heather stood there in awe for a moment before the younger blonde began to walk off rather briskly, probably not wanting to be late to her introduction to the class. She waved at the girls, in her swaying yellow tank top and her bright white denim shorts. It was like a ray of sunshine standing before her, Heather almost didn't turn away after the girl turned on her white heels and strode into the vast crowd. 

"Jesus, Heather. Drool much?" 

The bookworm in green beside her chuckled as she started to head towards their class, the two girls had English Honors 2 together. Upon hearing the comment from her friend since Freshman Year, Heather was quick to snap at her once the Heather in yellow was out of her line of sight. Her small smile slowly turned into a scowl as she turned around and almost glared at the girl in green, catching Heather completely off guard as she held her book a little tighter to her chest. 

"Shut up, Heather." 

Scampering behind the strawberry blonde as she stalked off towards the Northeast stairwell, Heather felt a shiver run down her back. It wasn't the first time that she had wronged her friend in someway to be scolded at. Though she was a year older than the girl, Heather held a certain hold over her that she couldn't quite explain. Maybe it was for when they somehow hit it off in this hellhole.. She couldn't understand it, but the words she muttered would one day come back to haunt her in her sleep. 

_"Sorry, Heather.."_


	2. Chapter 2

Her head was pounding.  Sitting in Biology, Heather couldn’t focus one bit.  Her mind was slowly leaving her as she dazed in and out, cradling her head in her hands as she whined quietly.  Not being able to focus was one of the things Heather hated the most.  For all of her nine years in school, the girl was able to focus properly in every single one of her classes, and when she couldn’t?  She hated it with every particle in her very body. 

Unable to stop herself, her hand went up rather quickly. The pain was slowly becoming unbearable. It felt as though her brain was trying to crack a hole in the front of her skull and escape.The class was rather quiet, so she wasn’t sure what was causing the sudden pain. Her deductions grew limited and she couldn’t finish half of them as her strength slowly gave way to the pain she was experiencing. The class was quiet, despite the teacher rambling on about how Biology is oh so important to the learn about, so she knew that it couldn’t be noise that was bothering her so much. No one had sprayed any types of sprays, therefore it couldn’t be any overpowering smells either. 

“Ms.McNamara?”

Heather almost didn’t even realize that the teacher had stopped to look at her. The class turned to look at her and she slowly let her hand fall back to her head, a nervous smile on her face as she spoke timidly. It wasn’t a first to have all eyes on her, but she wasn’t entirely prepared to have an entire class staring her down as though they were going to kill her if she didn’t speak in a single moment. 

_ Jesus..  _ _ I guess they’re really into Biology..  _

“M-May I use the restroom?”

The teacher gave a small sigh, looking from the blonde in yellow to the PowerPoint presentation behind him. Clearly, he was upset with the girl’s idea to leave his class. God forbid she were to miss something important. 

Heather had no clue whether or not if she should feel bad about asking to leave. It was her first day in the class and it was just an introductory period, so they weren’t going to be doing any work whatsoever. They’d receive their syllabuses and be on their merry ways. As much as she would love to stay and she was aware that the teacher would love for her to too, she couldn’t withstand the pain in her head any longer. Starting to believe that the teacher wouldn’t let her go, the small nod he gave was her indication to get up and hightail it for the bathroom. 

“I expect you to be hurrying back, Ms.McNamara. No more than 10 minutes.” 

Heather was quick to get up, fumbling as she grabbed a smaller bag out of her purse. The teacher looked at her for all of two seconds before beginning once more. Making her way for the door, she opened it rather forcefully, squeaking as it slammed closed behind her. Looking back at the door as she was out of the classroom, her eyes were widened ever so slightly as a shiver ran down her spine. Pointing to the door with a weak finger, she mumbled a quick,

“I did not mean to do that.”

Before she made her way off towards the restrooms.

* * *

“Grow up, Heather. Bulimia is so ‘87.” 

Heather rolled her eyes as she heard the girl vomiting in the stall behind her. Her eyes were locked on her own reflection as she fixed her bright red lipstick, paying little to no mind to the way the girl whined in the stall. 

It wasn’t the first time that this had happened, it had become a regular occurrence after every lunch. The girl was a bulimic, Heather was forced to expect nothing less from her when the girl chose to eat during lunch.  A part of her was pained to listen to her friend hack up her lunch every day, but she knew she had no power to stop her. Duke had made it clear that she was going to work on getting better, but day by day Heather began to tell the girl was full of shit. 

Hearing the toilet flush, Heather let out a small sigh as she continued to fix her appearance in the mirror. It wasn’t until she heard the door to the bathroom open that she snapped her head to the side, clearly looking to intimidate whoever it was. No one was expected to be out of class this close to the day being over, but of course, there was always the one person who had to find some way to annoy Heather indefinitely. 

“I could’ve sworn that-”

“Heather?” 

Coming face to face with bright blue eyes, Heather froze. Her silver eyes instantly brightened with fear.. That was not who she was expecting at all. 

Heather McNamara looked at Heather a nervous smile slowly coming to rest on her face as she took a small step back against the door. Fear and regret were clear in her eyes as she swallowed hard. Heather hadn’t expected to see the girl in red till Monday at least.. Seeing her now was definitely something that wasn’t helping Heather’s pounding headache. 

“What’re you doing here?”

Heather’s voice was weak and timid as she asked the Sophomore in red of her doings. She really hadn’t been expecting to go to the bathroom and see the girl.. It definitely was unexpected and she couldn’t understand why her heart began to race in her chest. It was just Heather, but the way that the older strawberry blonde was looking at her had her shaking in her white heels. 

When Heather spoke, she hadn’t been expecting the snarkiness in her own tone. It was something she had become accustomed to hearing when it came to talking to people of lower status than her, but in that moment she wished it hadn’t come out to the younger blonde in yellow. Heather couldn’t have stopped it, she knew that was a certain, so when she watched the fear slowly begin to cloud Heather’s eyes, she wasn’t sure why she felt her heart skip a beat. 

“I could ask you the same thing, Sunshine.”

Turning on her heels, Heather returned to her reflection.  Composing herself was all she could do at that point.  Her normal emotions wanted to leak out onto the floor, but she wouldn’t let emotions get the best of her when she had no reason why she was experiencing them.  Her stomach was doing flips and all she did was lightly grip the lipstick in her hand a little tighter as she looked back at her own reflection.  She could see Heather looking at her in the mirror, the girl’s eyes were locked on her reflection and she couldn’t tell why.

_ God,  _ _ Will you find something else to look at?  _ _ I know I’m the one other beautiful thing to look at in here, but would you mind looking at yourself instead?  _

Heather’s head snapped to the side as she heard violent coughing and she instantly let out a small gasp. The girl in yellow was surprised to hear the noise, so when she looked back to Heather, she was even more surprised to know that the girl wasn’t doing anything about it. 

“Is that Heather?”

Heather didn’t feel like herself anymore when she spoke to the younger blonde. Her emotions dissipated into thin air and the only thing that was left behind was her semi-frozen heart. A venom entered her tone and the small laugh she let out after it made her feel like shit on the inside. It was all an act.. At least that’s what she chose to tell herself. 

“No, it’s Pope Francis. Yes, Heather, it’s Heather.” 

Heather looked to the stall and then to the Heather dressed in red with bewilderment in her dulling blue gaze. She was perplexed as to why the Sophomore wasn’t helping her best friend out when she clearly needed the help. A frown came to rest on her lips as she turned back to Heather. Heat began to rise from the pit of the bubbling blonde’s stomach. Her head was throbbing and she could feel anger running through her veins as she looked at the back of the strawberry blonde’s head.

“You’re not going to help her?” 

A small shrug from the older girl was all Heather got in reply. Her eyes widened and the pain from her head seemed to burn away as her mouth slightly dropped open.  
It was angering to see that Heather just stood by not doing a thing at all while her friend was clearly ill. Shaking her head, she turned to go and open the stall, but Heather’s words stopped her short in her walk. 

“Does it look like I’m her Mother?”

Her fingers curled into fists and all she could feel was her body shake as she whipped around. Heather’s anger had toppled over the edge and she wasn’t sure what drove her into yelling at the girl she had just met, but she knew that what was happening here was far from what she would deem 'okay' in a friendship. Friends help one another! Not stand by and watch the other throw up and crack jokes about it! 

_ Are you freaking kidding me right now? _

“But you’re her friend, Heather! Friends help one another! Not fix their lipstick when the other throws up!”

The hostility radiating off of the younger girl was something Heather hadn’t been expecting from the Freshman. Arching a brow at the girl, she watched her turn and knock on the stall, waiting for Duke to open it. The toilet flushed and Heather turned around, looking back to her reflection as she put her lipstick away. She wasn’t sure what had drove the girl to act out in such a way. It was odd to see the bubbly girl in such a distraught state, but she supposed that everyone had their reasons for the way they behave, so she tried not to make much of a big deal out of it. 

“I-I’m fine, Heather. R-Really, I’m okay.” 

Duke smiled to the young blonde who rested a hand on her shoulder as she slowly began to exit the stall. The girl had quite the heart. Heather had stood up to Heather, yelled at her, and then came to see if she was okay. Duke was surprised. It wasn’t everyday that she had someone knocking on her stall to check on her when she was throwing up, most of the time Heather sent them out of the bathroom, but she had let Heather stay..

_ Weird..  _ _ She never lets anyone stay when I’m throwing up..  _ _ So, why’d she let Heather stay?  _

“Are you sure? Do you need to go see the nurse?” 

Heather rested her hand on the girl’s cheek, running it up her face to rest on her forehead, checking the girl’s temperature with a small frown on her face. Duke tensed a little beneath the young blonde’s touch. No one had ever touched her during the school day, but despite her discomfort of the situation, she made no effort to remove the girl’s hand from her forehead. Looking back into the blonde’s eyes, Heather gave a small sympathetic smile that made Duke shiver. She was fine… She knew that she was fine, she hadn’t thrown up because she was sick.. Heather was a struggling bulimic, but that isn’t something you just come out and say to people, let alone someone you just met today. Her body slowly began to feel cold and she felt tingles run through her arms as she looked to Heather who was now sitting on the bathroom counter, looking at the two girls.

“Heather is a bulimic.. She isn’t really sick, Heather.” 

Upon hearing the news from the Heather in red, Heather’s bright blue eyes instantly dulled. It was as if a light bulb shattered. All the life seemed to drain from her eyes as she took a step away from the girl, turning her back on both girl’s as she felt her blood run cold. The world seemed to freeze around her and all she could hear was her pained breath as she looked at the disgusting turquoise tiles beneath her pure white heels. It hurt.. God, did it hurt. Hearing that her friend was struggling with an eating disorder hit home and Heather didn’t know how to react. 

“B-But I’m getting better!”

Duke’s voice sounded off the tile walls and Heather dropped her head. She was glad to hear that the girl was getting better, but she was going to instantly call bullshit on her. Of course, the blonde wouldn’t say anything aloud, she knew better than to hurt the girl when she was going through something such as this. She knew the pain…

_ You say you’re getting better..  _ _ Then next thing you know, you’re in the hospital for three months.  _

“Heather?”

Hearing the strawberry blonde’s voice, Heather couldn’t remain quiet any longer. The girls needed an answer to her silence.. As much as she didn’t want to bring up her dark past, she spoke and her words came out shaky. Remembering everything hurt, and her story spilled out onto the tiles below. She didn’t turn around, not even when the older blonde’s hand came to rest on her shoulder, she just spoke. 

“You say you’re getting better, but you aren’t.. And as much as you want to tell me you are, trust me when I say I know you aren’t, because I know what it feels like to get better. To say you’re fine and all giggles and rainbows, but when you go home it doesn’t stop.. Heather, it’s okay to be truthful. I know you make yourself out to be a tough girl, but really, this isn’t the time for that.” 

Turning around, McNamara shrugged Heather’s hand off her shoulder, tears slowly forming in her eyes as she looked at Duke who seemed frozen in place. The girl looked back to her with pain slowly clouding her dark brown eyes, making them nearly seem black as she held the girl’s sorrowful gaze. 

“I may not have been bulimic.. But I did starve myself.. A lot.” 

Duke’s eyes widened slightly and she took a small step forward, but stopped as Heather continued to speak, not wanting her clacking heels to interrupt the young girl from her small speech she was giving.

“I don’t know your reasons behind why you do what you do, but I had mine.. They were all for the wrong reasons, so what it is that you’re doing, I’m going to sit here and ask you to stop, even though I know it isn’t that easy..” 

Heather slowly took a small step forward, ignoring how the girl in red stood behind her not showing any sign of emotion at all. Her heart was slowly shrinking in size and it felt as though she was going to breakdown at any moment, but she knew she needed to be strong so she could speak to the girl in green. What she was doing was not okay, Heather would make sure she got her message through before she had to leave.

“If it’s for someone, stop. If it’s so you can keep your precious body image, stop. It’s not worth it! There are so many people in this world than can love you for who you are and there are many more who will help you see yourself for who you are! So what you gain a little weight after eating? What’s throwing it up going to do? It just hurts you more and more every time. I did that all of twice in my life and Jesus… I couldn’t stand how I felt after words, you just feel nauseous all the time and it sucks! Why would you want to put yourself through that, Heather?” 

Taking Duke’s hands in her own, Heather couldn’t stop herself from continuing, her thoughts slowly taking over as she spoke, pain clear in her tone. Heather searched the green clad girl’s eyes as she whispered quietly as if it were an unspoken truth that the girl wasn’t ever suppose to learn of.

“There’s no point..”

A small nod was all Heather received from the brunette, her grip on the girl’s hands tightening as she listened to her words. She knew that this talk may not solve much, but it was worth it to speak her mind on the situation. Heather hated to know that the girl was going through having to deal with an eating disorder, she knew much of what that was like and wouldn’t wish the pain upon anyone in her entire lifetime. 

“I know..” 

Duke continued to nod to the girl, smiling softly. She could tell that the girl was passionate about getting her to stop and seeing her get away from the disorder. Something just kept driving her. Maybe it was the fact that she had suffered once from an eating disorder, or just that she didn’t want to see the girl in so much pain day after day. Heather couldn’t put her finger on it, but something told her that she needed to stop. Not only for her sake, but for her new friend’s sake. The small smile that Heather gave her and the way her eyes twinkled when she spoke to her was a definite indication that she was going to give up her ways. 

“Good..”

Letting go of the girl’s hands, Heather’s eyes slightly widened as she took a small step back, almost knocking into the Heather in red. Looking up at the girl, Heather shivered slightly as she stepped to the side. She overstayed her welcome and she knew that she needed to be heading back to class. Unaware as to how long she was in the bathroom for, she walked to the bathroom door, reaching for the handle. Once her hand rested along the silver handle, she turned her head to look at the two Heathers, a nervous smile slowly coming to her features.

“I-I gotta go, Mr.Lockquik will kill m-me-”

Heather’s voice died down as the older strawberry blonde slowly started walking towards her. The way the girl’s eyes darkened scared her as she gulped, opening the door a little too quickly. 

“I want to talk to you for a minute, if you don’t mind.”

Looking down at the frightened girl, Heather gave her a small smile, trying to assure her that she had no bad intentions towards the girl. Sure, the girl had stood up to her and had the nerve to yell at her, but she was far from yelling at the girl for that. Heather could care less about the girl standing up to her, in fact, it made her proud that the girl had.  
The speech she had delivered to Duke had been quite moving, but Heather knew that the girl couldn’t just walk away and be fine after talking about something like that. It just wasn’t how it worked. 

“Y-Yeah. I-I got the time.” 

A small chuckle was all Heather gave as the young blonde opened the door and allowed the two of them to exit. Once they were in the hall and out of Duke’s sight, Heather let out a small sigh and said nothing. McNamara looked up at the girl in red, shaking as the two of them simply held eye contact, not speaking. When Heather’s arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close to her, Heather let out a small sigh as she came to rest her head on the older girl’s shoulder. A hug…

_ So…  _ _ She really does care.. _

“I know it’s hard to talk about that.. Duke definitely needed that, but you didn’t seem alright yourself.” 

Heather rested her head down on the younger girl’s. It pained her to feel the girl shake in her hold. She really wasn’t okay. The way she was shaking was a clear indication that she wasn’t alright. Talking about her past was something that had definitely been the wrong thing to do, while it was made into a speech to help out Duke, Heather was strongly against the fact that it pained McNamara every minute she uttered a word in that bathroom. 

“Yeah.. It’s hard.”

Heather slowly pulled out of the hug she initiated, letting her hands rest on both of the younger blonde’s shoulders. Looking down into the girl’s bright blue eyes, Heather slowly allowed her hands to run down the girl’s arms. The way Heather shivered beneath her touch made her question some things, but she pushed her thoughts to the back of her head as she let her words come out. Soft and low, something that the younger Heather found to be quite soothing. 

“Are you going to be alright heading back to class?”

When Heather nodded, the strawberry blonde let a small smile come to rest on her lips. Her smile definitely made Heather feel more than okay. In that moment she felt as though she were just safe.. A bright smile and hands holding hers, she couldn’t have asked for much more comfort than that. 

“I’m fine.. Really, I am.” 

Heather slowly took her hands back from the older girl, her heart skipping a beat as she swore she saw disappointment clouding the girl’s eyes as she began to take small steps away from the girl. She had to head back to class, but she wished she could’ve stayed in the girl’s arms for the rest of her 8th period.  It was much better to smell the girl’s floral perfume and feel her warm embrace than to go and sit in a classroom and listen to a boring lecture that wouldn’t teach her jack in life. 

“Alright.”

With that, Heather slowly started to move from her spot. Her hand reaching for the door handle as she shot McNamara one last smile. Her smile only brightened once the younger girl shot her one back as she turned on her heels to head down the hall. Heather didn’t enter the bathroom until the girl was out of her sight, her smile slowly fading as she slowly entered the bathroom. What she wouldn’t give to hold the girl in her arms once more and promise her that nothing bad would ever happen to her again…

* * *

“Are you okay, Heather?”

Duke asked as she sat on the counter, watching the younger girl fix her hair in the mirror. After their talk with the youngest Heather, Heather had refused to go back to class.  
Despite it being just an introductory period, the strawberry blonde didn’t seem to care as she kept finding thing after thing to fix so they would stay in the bathroom longer. Duke knew that something was wrong with the girl. After McNamara had finished her speech and the two had been out in the hall for a few minutes, Heather knew that something was bound to be off with the younger girl. After sometime, Heather spoke up and Duke tilted her head, listening to the girl’s words. 

“Why Westerburg? She couldn’t have transferred to a better school? A less, psychotic school?” 

Heather turned to look at the girl in green, sorrow clear in her eyes and Duke was quick to pick up on the girl’s pain. A frown came to rest on the brunette’s lips as she replied to the girl’s questions. She was quick to inquire about what the girl meant. Westerburg was one of the better school’s in the area, it was one of the higher up school’s, hence why both of them were here.. She could understand very little of what the girl in red meant, but she was ready to listen to the girl go on a rant. 

“What do you mean?”

Heather let out a frustrated sigh. It wasn’t towards Duke, it was more towards the situation at hand. She couldn’t explain what had her so frustrated, but when she spoke, it just spilled out. 

“This school is going to chew her up and spit her out. Of all the places she could attend, it was here. Of all the people she could meet, it was us. Of everything she could go through… It was that.. I can’t see her going through that much pain.. I couldn’t help her through her starving period, but I don’t want to ever see her go through that again.. It hurts to see her like that, I guess… She’s so innocent, so bright, so bubbly.. I don’t want to see her lose that.”

Duke was quick to respond, her advice coming through. She normally was quick to have a word on any situation, it was just how the girl in green was. 

“Then don’t. She doesn’t have to go through high school alone. She’s only a Freshman-”

“We’re Sophomores-”

“True, but we have more power than anyone else in this school. We can get assholes to grovel at our feet at the snap of a finger. What does that tell you?” 

Heather raised a small brow at the girl, not getting where she was coming from.

“That we’re empowered?”

Duke rolled her eyes, shaking her head with a small laugh at her friend.

“No, Dunce. We can protect her!  _You_ can protect her! She doesn’t need to change schools. She already has a knight in shining armor here.. You don’t need to watch her every move, Heather, you could never be with her every minute of the day.. Instead, just be her friend. We can stick by her for the rest of our time here. She doesn’t have to be alone, she can be with us.” 

The girl in red slowly let her eyes fall from Duke, looking at herself in the mirror. It was true. Heather didn’t need to go through high school alone, so why should she? She met the two most powerful girls in the school. Heather had been scared about the girl having to get thrown around her entire Freshman year, but they had the power to stop anyone from getting near her, so why not use it?

_ Heather actually does have a brain..  _ _ Would you look at that.  _

“Heather, Heather-”

“And Heather.”

Duke and Heather looked at one another, a small smile coming to the young girl’s lips as she spoke up once more.

“The Heathers.”

“Bingo.”

Duke let out a small laugh and soon Heather joined her. It was so simple. Just like that.The choice had been made. The girls would be friends throughout their high school years. Nothing would ever happen to McNamara, or Duke, or Chandler herself. Heather, Heather, and Heather. The Heathers. The Queens of Westerburg.  
It was just that simple.. Why Heather hadn’t thought about that before was beyond her. Her mind had been running rampid and she wasn’t able to think straight as she let out laugh after laugh with Duke. Her problem ended just like that. Heather was going to be safe..  
 _Safe with her._

* * *

Sitting at her desk, Heather hummed quietly as she worked on homework. Missing half of Biology had definitely been a bad idea. The teacher had assigned a packet to prove their worth as to why they were in an Honors course and Heather couldn’t have been more upset. Adjusting her crimson rimmed glasses, she let out a small sigh as she looked up from her work to look out the window.

It was almost dark out. The sun was dying down behind the trees, cascading it’s dying rays out along the soon to be midnight sky.   
Heather found the sight beautiful, mesmerized as she let out a small sigh, resting her pencil down as she came to prop her head up on her right hand, yawning softly as she looked back down to her homework.

The day had been quite eventful. Meeting Heather and Heather, her headache, the bathroom, Heather hugging her… She smiled at that, her face slightly heating up as she thought about the girl’s warm embrace. It calmed her down as she slowly picked her pencil back up, going to continue her homework. As she went to finish up a vocabulary question, her phone rang beside her, causing the girl to jump. She raised a brow at the number as she placed her pencil down, picking up her device as she looked at the number.  Heather didn’t recognize it, but nonetheless, she picked up, being the careless girl that she was. 

“Hello?”

“Heather?”

The voice on the other end of the line was unmistakable. Heather Chandler. 

The girl’s deep, yet soft voice filled her ear and she couldn’t stop herself from straightening as she heard her.   
She was surprised to hear the girl on the other line.  Heather never gave the girl her number, that was for sure, so how did she get her number..? 

“That’s my name.”

Heather responded cheerfully. She wouldn’t let the question cloud her mind as she spoke to the girl. Honestly, she was glad to hear from Heather. It took her away from the stresses of her homework and was a great way to end a Friday. 

“Mine too.”

The laugh she heard from Heather on the other end of the line made her blush fiercely as she giggled in return. The girl had such a beautiful laugh. Heather didn’t get to hear it all that often, considering she had just met the girl, but when Heather were to laugh, McNamara would just freeze at the scene, admiring the way she sounded. It wasn’t as sweet as her’s, but it had something to it that Heather couldn’t put her finger on. 

“What’re you up to tomorrow, Heather?”

Quickly going for her calendar on her desk, Heather scanned through the dates. She was sure that she had nothing going on tomorrow, it was a Saturday after all. Double-checking the date, she confirmed that she wasn’t doing anything.

“Nothing at all.”

“Excellent.”

Heather raised a brow at that.

_ Excellent?  _ _ What’s so good about that?  _ _ I’m going to be bored out of my mind- _

“How would you feel about coming to the mall with me and Duke?”

Heather froze. Go to the mall? With Heather? And Heather? That sounded awesome! A bright grin slowly came across her features as she replied to the girl quite enthusiastically with her answer. 

“Yes! Yes, that sounds awesome! I’m down!” 

Heather chuckled on the other end of the line and McNamara didn’t even try to stop herself from blushing. If Heather had been in front of her, she would’ve, but the girl was somewhere else, so she let it all out. The way she laughed was deadly. It was like getting shot in the heart, but living.  
 _Wait, what-_

“Good. I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.” 

Giggling, Heather rested her hand on her heart, feeling it thump against her chest. She was ecstatic at this point and was sure once Heather hung up she was going to have a heart attack. 

“Be up by 10. I’ll text you then for your address.” 

“Okay!”

“Alright. I’ll be seeing you tomorrow then, Sunshine. Good night.” 

“Night, Heather!”

The line disconnected and Heather let out a scream. Her cheeks burned with how much she was smiling and her mouth was starting to hurt as she squealed and waved her arms. If someone could see into her window, she was sure they’d call the police, but she didn’t care. Her heart was racing and she couldn’t stop herself from squeaking here and there as she looked to her phone and then to her homework.

Looking to her book, she looked back to her phone and placed it over her heart, one hand resting on the other as she let out a content sigh.  She was going crazy over the thought of it.  Them all walking through the mall together..  It sounded great..  Getting out of the house for once.  God, the thought was going to get her drunk. 

Feeling her phone vibrate against her chest, she pulled it away instantly and saw the text that would knock her out for the night, eliciting another high pitched squeal from the girl. 

_ “Good Night, Sunshine.” _


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Scrunchies!
> 
> I am so sorry for the long wait for this third chapter. A lot of stuff has happened in my life recently and I haven't had much time to sit down and do anything. I moved, started in a new school, stuff adds up. On top of that I need to get a job soon, so it's gonna definitely start being longer till each chapter gets out. My sincerest apologies, I hope you all can understand! 
> 
> ~Carry On!  
> -Chandler

The sun filtered in through the blinds on the gorgeous Saturday morning. Bright baby blue eyes opened up with a small yawn. Stretching her arms over her head, Heather slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she looked over to her window. Her mind was drawing blank after blank as she allowed herself to relax at the simple morning ahead of her. The warm embrace from her dream had definitely carried over into her morning. Turning to look down at her phone, Heather slowly picked up the golden device, pressing the diamond button in the lower middle. Her iPhone came to life and immediately she swore her heart stopped beating. Fear entered her eyes as she saw three missed calls from the Demon Queen herself, Heather Chandler. Almost dropping her phone onto her bed, Heather scrambled out of bed, shaking on her own two feet as she paced back and forth, dialing the older Heather's number. Her mind was instantly racing and she could feel the pain begin to coil in her stomach.

_Great job, Heather! You tell them you'll go out with them, but instead you sleep in for two hours. Really making a name for yourself!_

When the call went through, Heather froze from her pacing. Her heart was thudding against her rib cage and she instantly starts a nervous apology. 

"Oh my god! Heather, I am so so sorry, you don't even understand how sorry I possibly am! I mean, you probably don't care, but I mean, I am so so sorry. I didn't mean to sleep in and I know that it's a really crappy way to start the day and I just want to let you know-" 

"Heather." 

From her spot in her own house, Heather Chandler looked over at Heather Duke, a small smile on her face. The girl on the other end of the line was a terrified mess. It amused Heather to see how scared the girl was just for sleeping in an hour too late. Her smile only grew as the girl silenced herself. She could still hear her quick breaths from the other end of the phone and for a moment she felt her heart skip a beat. She hadn't meant to scare the poor girl, that had been far from her intention. Of course, she was immensely annoyed with the fact that their plans had to be postponed, but she wouldn't let her anger show. 

"Y-Yeah..?" 

The timid response from the young blonde caused Heather to smile as Duke raised a brow. The brunette looked up from her book, clearly confused as to why the girl was a smiley mess over just a simple call. Duke didn't say anything, she just continued to watch the younger strawberry blonde talk on the phone, while occasionally turning back to Moby Dick. 

"You're alright, Sunshine, don't worry. We're just early birds is all. Get ready, send me your address, and we'll be there soon, okay?" 

Mac nods on the other line. Almost cursing at herself as she realizes that the older girl can't see her action. Her heart thuds less and less against her rib cage and she can feel herself calming down just by Heather's soft voice and caring tone. What caused the young blonde to smile brightly, was the fact that she heard the nickname Heather gave her the night before. Her eyes brightened at this, hearing the nickname roll off of the girl's tongue was definitely something she would come to love. Maybe it would only be between them two, but Heather came to love the little name nonetheless. Running a hand back through her blonde locks, she almost forgot she needed to reply. 

"O-Okay! I'll be ready in probably less than 10 minutes, maybe more.. I'm not that good with time, as I'm sure you can already tell. Uh, I'll send you my address and-" 

"Just hurry up, Heather." 

Nodding her head once more, Heather frowns at how quickly Chandler's voice went from soft and velvety, to stone cold and venomous. She assumed it was because this was the second time she had talked more than she needed to, but it was just a force of habit at this point. The older girl scared the living hell out of McNamara. She could be normal around her, but at even the slightest fuck up, she'd turn into a frightened cat and run away to hide under the bed. Going to apologize to the older girl, Heather realizes the line was cut and she frowns as she looks to see that the call has ended. Her heart begins to race as she looks around her room. She said she'd be ready in at least 10 minutes. She had no idea how quickly the girls would be arriving to her house but-

Shoot! She didn't even send Heather her address yet! 

Swiping her phone to the side, she hastily finds Heather's contact and send the girl her address. Double checking the message, she goes ahead to triple check it, just to make sure she didn't accidentally send the girls to the residence next door. The people across the street weren't exactly the greatest of folks, Heather always just prayed for the day her family was able to buy the land from them and kick them out. Snapping out of her thoughts, Heather makes a run for her bathroom, realizing she needs to start getting ready, because the girls were more than likely going to be on their way. Heather had come to learn that Chandler wasn't the most patient of people, so they'd probably be speeding to her house the minute they got her address. Failing to see her computer cord going from her desk to her bed, Heather trips on the cord and lets out a small yelp as she lands but first on the white carpet below. Scowling at the pain slowly going through her body, she blows as stray strand of hair out of her face as she scrambles back to her feet, groaning at the pain that goes with her. 

_Did you have a nice trip, Heather? There's no seeing you next Fall, get a move on!_

* * *

Looking up from her book, Heather places her bookmark in her spot, closing the book as she watches Heather begin to get up from her spot. The brunette in green grabs her keys off the counter as well as her sunglasses before hearing Chandler groan as the girl drops her wallet on the floor. As the younger Heather in red bends down to pick up her belonging, Duke pushes in her chair and can't stop the words that leave her mouth. 

"Sunshine?"

Picking her wallet up off the floor, Heather feels her heart skip a beat. Hal of her had forgotten Duke had even been next to her when she had answered the phone. The nickname had come out naturally as if it were the blonde's actual name, she saw no harm in such a small thing. Hearing Duke snicker at her though, that set her off. A small glint entered the girl's silver eyes as she turned around to glare at Duke, the girl had her eyes closed as she was laughing at the younger girl. 

"I can definitely see why you'd call her that, she is quite a ray of  _Sunshine,_ now isn't she?" 

Opening her dark brown eyes, Heather comes face to face with the young strawberry blonde before her and she audibly gulps. Her laughter seizes and she takes a small step back as she holds the girl's gaze. It was rather intimidating if Duke had to be completely honest. Fear had entered her eyes, darkening their color to where they were nearly pitch black as she looked at the other Heather. Heather's silver gaze seemed to soften as she turned around, taking her sunglasses off the breakfast bar before she began to head for the front door. 

"At least my Sunshine doesn't need to have her dick sucked every time I see her." 

Duke's jaw dropped at Heather's words. Gripping her keys a little tighter in her hand, she scowls as she pushes past the girl. Heather snickers at the older girl's actions, watching her head towards her neon green Jeep. 

"It's not  _every_ time..." 

Heather chuckles as she puts on her sunglasses, locking the house behind her as she struts down the white steps. 

"Majority of the time. 

Getting annoyed with the younger girl, Heather rolls her eyes behind her black rimmed glasses as she flips her finger at the girl. Hearing Heather laugh, she can't stop herself from laughing as she opens the driver's door and hops in. 

"Get in loser, we're going shopping." 

Shaking her head at the older girl, Heather lets out a sigh before laughing as she enters the car, closing the passenger door as she gets in. Buckling in she pulls up Heather's address on her phone and places it in the phone holder between the two of them on the windshield. Locking her phone in place, Duke raises a brow as she hits her radio, a little pissed with the fact that it isn't working. 

"Hitting it is going to make it work?" 

Duke rolls her eyes as she continues to fidget with the radio, annoyed with how now both the technical error and the sorry error in birth next to her. 

"Heather." 

Smacking the girl's hand away from the stereo, Chandler rolls her eyes as she turns the radio on. Music begins to play throughout the car and Heather looks over at the girl in green. 

"It wasn't even on." 

Blushing at her own stupidity, Duke begins to heat up as she starts out of the girl's driveway, following the GPS with a low huff.

"I knew that.." 

* * *

Stopping in front of a large mansion, Heather's jaw drops as she looks over at Chandler. The house is massive. It's sitting up on a hill, surrounded by a fence and Heather was damn sure that she saw water spurting up from somewhere. Both girls are in awe as Duke begins to shake her head. 

"Nope, this is not the place." 

Rolling her eyes, Chandler cranes her neck to look at the estate. 

"She wouldn't send us the wrong address." 

Duke takes Chandler's phone out of its holder, checking the address and then looking from the phone to the house. They were indeed at the right spot.. It just, seemed wrong. 

"You sure about that?"

Looking up from the girl's blood red iPhone, Chandler takes her phone from Duke, looking back at the house. 

"Positive. She's terrified of wronging us in any way, why would she send us the wrong address?"

Duke shrugs, a hand running through her hair in worry. 

"I don't know! Payback?"

"For what?" 

"I don't fucking know, Heather!" 

Turning her attention away from the girl in green, Heather sighs as she follows the brick walls with her eyes, clearly also offset by the residence. It seemed like a beautiful place, a part of her didn't doubt that the younger blonde lived here. When she first met the girl, something always had screamed to her. Now, being at the girl's house, well, she knew that the girl had screamed  _'money'_ at her their entire first encounter. 

"Drive up there."

Duke looks over bewildered with Chandler's demand. 

"Are you fucking psycho?!" 

"Do I need to repeat myself?" 

"Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast, Heather?" 

"No, but I'm becoming aware that you did-" 

"I'm not about to get arrested for trespassing!" 

"Well, if it comes down to that, Daddy has lawyers to bail us out." 

Duke throws her hands up before smacking them down against the steering wheel. Although she didn't want to drive through the large gates, she did so anyways. Cursing and mumbling under her breath the entire way up the large hill. 

"I swear to fucking god if this isn't her house and we just drove into some fucking billionaire's private estate and the military gets on our asses, I'm so blaming you." 

"Go right ahead."   
Chandler mutters in reply. 

Reaching the top of the hill, Heather's eyes widen as they see the giant fountain in the front of the house. Looking over to Heather, Duke stops her Jeep right next to a white gold plated Lamborghini. 

"This is beautiful..." 

Trailing off in her words, Chandler continues to look at what she can see of the beautiful mansion. Bright green grass, gold plated vehicles, a bright fountain that changes colors on its own, Jesus Christ... It was beyond beautiful, and Heather hadn't known what else to expect. 

"Hey!" 

Both of their eyes turned to the girl running down the steps of the mansion. Bright yellow accompanied the girl's attire and Heather nearly fainted behind the wheel. 

"Did her parents fucking cure cancer?" 

Rolling her eyes at Duke's words, Heather straightens herself in the passenger seat as she looks over to the buzzing blonde coming up on her window. 

"We don't need to meet your parents, do we?" 

Mac raises a brow at Heather's question as she slowly enters the jeep, adjusting her glasses with a small frown. Fear slowly begins to enter the girl's system as she looks between the two older girls that are looking back at her. 

"N-No.. Why do you ask?" 

Duke is quick to reply, sensing the girl's nervousness and wanting to dissipate it before Chandler can get something out of her pretty little red lips. 

"The last girl we tried to take with us wasn't allowed to go. When I showed up at her house, her father yelled at the both of us and threatened to call the cops." 

Mac's eyes widen and she closes the door beside her as she crosses one leg over the other. 

"Seriously?" 

Duke nods her head, beginning to pull out of her spot in order to get down the girl's driveway. 

Mac frowns upon hearing the story, but is quick to add to why the girls wouldn't be able to meet her parents, even if she had wanted the to. Heather's parents had gone to Hawaii, leaving her at home to deal with school and everything else.. Frowning at the thought, Heather turns to look out the window before she begins to talk, her normal bubbly appearance seeming to die down.

"Even if I wanted you guys to meet my parents, you can't. They're in Hawaii on a business trip. I don't know when they're getting back, but I'm staying in the mansion with my butler, Len-" 

"She has a fucking butler, Heather." 

Punching the Heather in green in the arm, Chandler nearly growls out her words as she turns to look at the house as they drive down the street. 

"Shut up, Heather." 

Mac smiles softly at the action, putting her hand over her mouth to ensure that no giggles escape her. When Heather mumbles and apology, she turns her head to look at the back of Heather's seat when she hears the girl in red begin to ask questions. 

"How much is the house?" 

"Oh, I think it's around $2,350,000." 

Having been taking a sip of her Diet Coke, Chandler nearly chokes upon hearing the price. Looking over, Duke nearly can't believe it herself. 

"Are you pulling on my dick?" 

Mac shakes her head with a small giggle at the two girls. 

"Nope!" 

Putting her drink down, Chandler runs a hand back through her hair, looking back out her respective window with a small raise of her brow. 

"What do your parents do for work, Sunshine?" 

Mac can't help but blush as she hears the name. When Chandler looks back, she almost freezes in her spot as she looks right back into the girl's hidden eyes. 

"My father sells engagement rings and my mother is a surgeon." 

"Fine paying jobs." 

Chandler turns around to look at the traffic they've encountered. 

"Mhm!" 

Tilting her head slightly, Chandler lets out a sigh as she continues to look at the roads. All this money and she's stuck alone in a mansion? It didn't sound like the greatest of lives. What the hell were her parents doing in Hawaii without her? She couldn't tag along? Chandler didn't have the greatest of connections with her own parents, but surely McNamara had to have better. 

"Why aren't you in Hawaii with your parents?"

Mac's eyes widen at the question and she feels her heart skip a beat. Everything seems to freeze right then and there and she can't stop the frown that slowly replaces her smile. Chandler looks back upon being greeted with silence and Mac continues to look out the window, gripping her white purse a little tighter in her hold, not bothering to look at Heather. Frowning at the girl's silence, Heather turns back, her eyes dulling in color as she looks over at Duke. 

_Oh, Honey... I'm sorry..._

"Sorry for asking..." 

Heather mumbles out as she turns to look at an accident on the road. Her hand cradles her face and she lets out a sigh that sounded far too sad for her own liking. McNamara must've noticed, instantly apologizing for her silence. 

"N-No, its alright! I-I just..." 

Trailing off, Heather can't even finish her own sentence as she looks at Chandler. The girl is looking out the window almost in a sort of defeat. She looked sorrowful and it made Heather squirm in her seat. Opting not to continue her sentence, Heather turns to look out her window, kicking her feet up onto the seat with a small sight as she rests her head against the window. 

Looking over at Duke from her spot, Duke frowns as the two older Heather's make eye contact. 

_We could see the hurt in her eyes from the start..._

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing Times:
> 
> Start Time:  
> 3:55 PM EST
> 
> End Time:  
> 4:45 PM EST


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Scrunchies! 
> 
> I apologize for how long it is taking me to get chapters out for stories. I get ideas for others and then tend to leave my bigger projects in the dust which is horrible. Maybe in then next three days I'll manage to get out more than just one chapter for this story. I also have an essay I need to write, so the possibility just shrinks evermore. Some recent personal problems have arose so many of the pieces that I write turn into vent pieces or just straight up smut to try and distract myself. 
> 
> ~Thank you for your patience and enjoy the new chapter!  
> -Chandler

Looking around the black and pink painted store, Heather blushed furiously as she ducked her head. All around her women picked up bras and panties, gawking at them as though they were made of solid gold. Simply, she kept her head low, not wanting to draw attention to herself. As used to stores as she was, she could never quite feel herself in Victoria's Secret. It was a place where she felt a little out of her element, as if she didn't belong there. Frowning at the thought, she continued to follow Heather and Heather through the store till they stopped at a bin. Her eyes continuously scanned the store, just watching everyone else. Some people were there with their boyfriends, laughing as they picked out sizes that were too small or far too large, others were with friends, seemingly laughing as though they were gossiping about some of the couples in the store as if they knew them. Heather couldn't ever bring herself to understand what was so fun about these places. Her bright blue gaze dulled as they began walking again. She followed pretty closely behind the strawberry blonde in red, her eyes constantly darting around as if someone was going to pop out and stab her. Heather was rather upset with how no one noticed how uncomfortable she was.. She sorta wished that one of the Heather's at least noticed and tried to lighten her mood. Despite just being with them for a few days, it still seemed like something one of them would do. Not realizing they had stopped, Heather let out a small squeak as she felt a hand wrap around her wrist as she ran right into someone's shoulder and instantly went to jump back. 

With wide eyes, Heather looked back into annoyed silver ones. Chandler had her by the wrist, holding her as if she were going to run off if when she let go. Despite the girl's harsh hold, her touch was rather soft, almost as if she didn't want to hurt the younger girl, as if she were fragile and would break with the wrong touch. Gulping as she went to take her hand back, Chandler let her and Heather instantly ran it through her dirty blonde locks, a shiver running down her spine as she averted her gaze from Heather. Her apology came out near inaudible as she slowly turned to look back into Chandler's piercing silver gaze. 

_She's going to absolutely kill me.._

"S-Sorry.." 

Noticing the fear cross Mac's features instantly, Heather let go of the girl's wrist instantly. How much fear she saw there almost scared her herself as she retracted her hand to her side. It had just been an accidental run into her shoulder, it wasn't like she was going to maul her or burn her at the stake. Frowning at the thought alone, Heather instantly noticed how the younger girl looked away. She was absolutely terrified and Heather had no idea why. They were just in Victoria's Secret, she had seemed fine when they went to any other store. What was her damage with coming in here? Or just what was her damage in general? Shrugging off the thought, Heather's eyes widened slightly as she noticed a faint blush going along the girl's cheeks. It was almost too hard to see against the girl's sun kissed skin, but when Heather saw it, something forced the rude remark she was going to say into a soft smile. 

"You're alright, Sunshine. Just watch where you're going next time." 

Looking back into an unusually quick to change soft silver gaze, Heather instantly nodded. She didn't want the conversation to go on another minute. It would be nice to get to talk to Chandler more, but definitely not after Heather almost just ran the poor girl over. Rolling her shoulders with a sigh of relief, she looked at where they had stopped. Duke had her eyes glued to some dark green set that was on display and Chandler was looking through bras. Slowly moving a bit closer, Mac folded her arms over her chest, a bit of a protective movement as she allowed herself to lean against the wall that Chandler was closest to. Despite having just ran into the older girl, Heather felt as though she wouldn't chastise her anymore. It was just an accident after all. Heather knew that she had just made a big deal out of it, but with how her apology had come out, she simply just seemed like a scared kitten. 

"What's your size?" 

Hearing the question, Heather felt her heart skip a beat as her eyes widened slightly. No eyes were on her, but it felt as though everyone's were. A shiver ran down her spine as she pushed herself further against the wall. The voice had belonged to Chandler. Just hearing it had already set her on edge. It didn't hold any hint of anger or annoyance, it was just a simple question. Her lack to answer it and how long she was taking to answer it was probably going to piss the older girl off. 

Turning her head to look at the dirty blonde after not getting an answer, Heather raised her brow. It was a simple question. She wasn't asking the younger girl to do rocket science, even though, knowing the girl's grades, she probably could answer any question about that anyways. Her silver eyes slowly looked up and down the younger dirty blonde, scanning her as if she'd find an answer somewhere on her body. Standing up from her position slightly bent over to look at the bras, Heather fully allowed herself to turn to look at the youngest Heather. Her stance was clearly something Heather picked up on. McNamara's arms were folded over her chest, she was leaning against the wall, and her legs were slightly shaking. Was she still scared about before..? Heather didn't think she was, she couldn't be.. Or, at least she hoped she wasn't still hung up on that. It was an accident and Heather understood that, she just hoped her ruthless reputation hadn't scared the younger girl into silence. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, a happy voice, a bit snarky entered the equation. 

Noticing Heather's discomfort, Duke had turned away from the set quickly. Her hand rested promptly on Chandler's shoulder as she smiled brightly to the girl propped against the wall. She could see the girl was far from comfortable about answering the question. It wasn't something you ask, of course, but they were all friends. Or, at least that's what Duke liked to say they were. Two years with Chandler was definitely a confirmed friendship. Taking McNamara on a shopping spree after knowing the girl for maybe three days and then finding out she's rich? Guess that's a claimed friendship too. Duke didn't really mutter many words unless she felt it necessary. When Heather seemed uncomfortable with answering the question, she knew she had to step up and say something or else Chandler would get upset. It seemed unlikely of the younger girl in red to get upset with McNamara though.. 

"I'm a 36C." 

The bright smile Duke had offered Heather slowly brought a half smile to her otherwise scared features. Chandler seemed annoyed by the hand on her shoulder, but didn't seem to do anything as she looked back to Heather with a now similar smile. It wasn't as bright as Duke's grin, but Heather would take seeing the normally rude Demon Queen smile any day. Hearing Duke's size almost made Mac blush though. She was pretty big. Looking between her and Heather, Mac tried her hardest not to look below their necks. It was very obvious that the girl in red was definitely bigger. 

_She's gotta have double D's, there's no way.._

"If it wasn't obvious, 38 double D's." 

As Duke's hand left her shoulder, Heather watched McNamara's eyes widen at her words. A small smirk came to rest on her face as she felt Duke nudge her from behind. Heather assumed that the girl had deduced this information the day they met, so why it was a surprise hearing it out of her mouth now made her wonder. Although, she did feel herself heat up as she noticed Mac blush just a bit more fiercely. 

_Now that's precious.._

Blushing harshly, Mac pushed herself evermore into the wall as she tried to seem as small as she possibly could. Her size definitely couldn't compete to theirs, but she knew they already knew that. It was no point in hiding it at this point. Both Heather's had shared their sizes with Mac, now it just felt rude to remain silent. Her body shook, but she slowly pushed off the wall, ready to face the fire and just get it out. Keeping it in was torture. At this point, Heather had no idea what the hell she was scared of. The lingering idea of being made fun of? She had been made fun of before.. She remembered that fondly.. Middle school definitely wasn't a good year for Heather. 

"N-Nowhere near you two.. 32.. A.." 

Mumbling out her answer, the snicker from Duke made her frown as she slowly took a small step back, getting ready to rest back against the wall. Her bright blue gaze dulled and Chandler instantly picked up on this as she turned her head over her shoulder to look at Duke. The girl in green was already walking away as she let her retort fly right out of her mouth. 

"Not all of us enjoy silicon tits, Heather." 

Glaring at the girl as her back turned to the Heather in yellow, Chandler let out a small tsk with her tongue as Duke flipped the bird to the strawberry blonde in red. Rolling her eyes, Heather returned her gaze back to Mac who simply forced a smile at her. Sighing, Heather slowly walked forward, allowing her hand to rest on Mac's shoulder. She was hot to the touch and Heather almost retracted her hand. It's like the girl was actually the sun itself, emitting so much heat that Heather would end up sweating if she hugged the girl for too long. Hoping to lighten the girl's mood, Heather let a smile slowly rest upon her formally pursed red lips. Silver eyes were warm and almost kind as they looked back into scared and sad baby blues. 

"Being big isn't fun at all, so you aren't missing out on much." 

Her hand slowly dragged down Mac's arm and the younger Heather watched her fingertips leave her body as they reached her wrist. The Heather in red turned back to the wall, beginning to search through a couple of white and yellow pieces, separating some here and there, more than likely to show the younger girl once she was pleased with her search results. Heather smiled at that, although her comment seemed far from true, Heather slowly walked forward, allowing her arms to unfold. When Duke wasn't around, it seemed as though she could relax. It wasn't that the oldest of them was an uncomfortable person to be around.. She just wasn't the biggest fan of how she always attacked the both of them when she thought it would lighten their mood. Chandler always seemed to put her in her place, but Mac couldn't help but wonder about them sometimes. Without even thinking, the words left her glossed lips before she could even stop them. 

"I can't bring myself to believe that." 

Stopping her movements on the pieces before her, Heather let out a small chuckle as she turned to look at McNamara. Her silver gaze was far from malicious, it was soft if anything, amused as she watched the girl in yellow. She hadn't a clue if anything. Bigger might be better in some ways, but god it had way too many cons. Being small was definitely where Heather enjoyed it. Scanning McNamara for a small moment, a blush slowly spread along the bridge of her nose, thankfully hidden ever so slightly by her freckles. 

"Believe what you want, Sunshine. Being big sucks. Your back hurts constantly and when you run they knock you in the jaw." 

Hearing the younger girl chuckle at that, when she felt something brush against her shoulder, she smiled softly as she watched the younger dirty blonde reach for the white and yellow laced bra in her hand. Handing it off to the younger girl, she was beyond sure she could be seen blushing now as she continued. 

"Don't get me wrong, they make for great pillows, but.." 

Turning fully to look at Heather, Chandler smiled as she looked the girl up and down once more. It was her power play. Keeping the younger girl in her place, constantly letting her know that everything she did, Heather would know about. 

"Being little is a good thing. Flaunt it, honestly." 

Heather could feel herself heat up at the older girl's words. Her eyes widened and she ran a hand over her arm as she watched Chandler begin to get ready to walk away from where they had found a few things. In her hand rested two of the bras Chandler had picked out, while the older strawberry blonde held onto three different articles. 

"Not everyone is a fan of bigger is better." 

The wink that was sent her way as Chandler walked away almost made Mac faint. Her legs almost gave out as she stopped, almost winded as she let a small grin rest upon her face as Chandler was out of eyesight. A chuckle left her as she turned back to look at where they had picked up the bras. She couldn't stop smiling, it almost hurt as she forced herself to keep her eyes on the wall before her. Heather knew she probably seemed like the biggest idiot in the store, but.. Chandler just winked at her. 

_She **winked** at me! Who-Who does that?! _

Touching the bridge of her nose, Heather giggled quietly as she felt the mass of heat that presented itself there. She was blushing hard. As she slowly picked her head up from her spot, she heard her name and smiled brightly as she scurried to the older girl in red who hurried her in front of her to pay for their things. The soft touch on her cheek made her smile as Heather commented quietly about how she was almost as red as the scrunchy in her hair. Heating up evermore, the woman ringing up their things smiled to the girl in yellow as she looked between the two. It seemed like she was trying to decipher something that even McNamara couldn't pick up on. When she handed them their bags, their hands brushed as they both reached for them. Ultimately, Mac ended up taking their bags while Chandler walked ahead of her. Duke had texted Chandler saying that she had left to go to the food court. While Heather had seemed upset that she hadn't told them, something told Mac that Chandler really just didn't care as she nudged the younger girl in yellow as she slowed her walk so she could walk next to her. 

"That girl at the register was totally checking you out." 

Letting out a small laugh, Mac instantly shook her head as she blushed evermore. She could smell Heather's perfume as they walked. Her mind was almost going fuzzy as she felt the girl's shoulder brush against her's here and there as they walked down the middle of the mall. They had made a beeline for the escalators at the other end of the mall, it being the quickest way to get up to the food court. As they continued walking to their destination, she felt Heather's hand slowly find her's. With wide eyes, Heather took her hand, their fingers entwining as though they had been best friends forever and this was just something normal that they would do when they went out. Her heart was racing in her chest as she felt the warmth slowly slip through her body. It was a feeling she knew she would come to love. It felt so nice.. So warm.. 

_She's only holding your hand, Heather. Jesus, don't come from it._

"N-No.. I think she was far more interested in what you had to offer." 

Thinking quickly to try and keep the conversation going, Heather let the words leave her mouth. As true as she knew they might not be, she didn't like to think the girl was looking at her. Being checked out was something Heather never liked. Back in California it was absolutely annoying, especially when everyone knew who she was in school. She'd have people following her around after school, in the mall, one person even broke his leg trying to get over their fence. A small sigh left her at the thought, but Chandler must've noticed as she squeezed her hand softly. It was a reassuring squeeze and Mac smiled softly as she looked up from her feet to see silver eyes looking right back at her. 

She was simply stunning. The way she froze when Heather looked into her bright blue gaze, it was amazing.. Chandler smiled at the girl's words. As much as she didn't like the thought of someone checking her out, she didn't ever mind when she found the younger Heather's eyes on her. Looking into Mac's timid blue eyes, when the girl averted her gaze, Heather let out a small laugh as she chose to continue the conversation. She knew exactly where this was headed and she knew exactly what she was doing. It was almost near obvious to her at this point and Heather found it adorable. 

_She's absolutely something else.. There's no doubting that._

"What, my double D's?" 

Flipping their hands as she raised her arm, Chandler pressed their hands against her breast and she instantly noticed how Mac stopped in her tracks for a second. Laughing as Mac pulled her hand away, Heather watched the girl turn as red as her blazer. It was a precious sight and she wanted to never un-see it as she came to rest her hand on her hip. They had just abruptly stopped in the middle of the mall all because she had pressed the younger girl's hand against her breast.

_Cute._

"I-I mean, wh-who wouldn't be interested? I mean, n-not that I am! Wait, not that I-I'm not.. Fuck.." 

Realizing that the younger girl was nervous as all can be, Chandler let out a laugh as she watched the girl turn her head to look at her feet once more. It was almost a defense mechanism for her. As if Chandler would just move on and stop talking about it. What she said had definitely surprised Heather, there's no doubting that. She wasn't upset, most people, guys and girls tended to be interested in her, so it wasn't much of a surprise. With how Heather was acting.. Something definitely was there. She made her heart flutter and sometimes she couldn't help but be a little protective at times. Despite just meeting the young dirty blonde, Heather knew there was something between them.. Even if neither of them wanted to admit it. Slowly resting her fingers beneath Mac's chin, she slowly raised the girl's head to meet timid blue eyes. A reassuring smile rested on painted red lips as Chandler ran her thumb along the girl's chin.

"A lot of people are interested in them, Sunshine. For all their perverted reasons, you don't have to be ashamed. You're not like them." 

Feeling lips rest against her forehead, the world seemed to stop. Heather felt as if she had just entered a state of complete and utter bliss. Her eyes closed shortly as she felt the feeling, and as it faded she opened her eyes and they instantly widened as if she had just gotten a kitten as a birthday present. Bright blue eyes looked up into silver eyes that looked right back into her's, smiling brightly as if it were a completely okay thing to do. And it was. 

"C'mon, Sunshine. Duke'll wonder what's become of us." 

* * *

Arriving in the food court, Chandler walked them over to where Duke was seated. The girl had her legs crossed while she casually ate a dish full of Chinese food. Chandler promptly had Mac place their bags on the other side of Duke before Heather was dragged off to some other place. For how many times she had been to the mall, she had never decided to go on weekends. They were far too crowded and looking around at the food court just proved her point. People were everywhere, you couldn't get through without knocking into someone at least once. On their walk up to the food court which was on the second floor, Chandler had pushed a few people that had touched Mac as they were walking up the stairs, the escalators having been broken and inaccessible. 

"There's this sushi place here. I always get lunch here when we come." 

Hearing the words and seeing where they were heading as she left her trance, Mac's eyes lit up. Sushi was one of her all time favorites. The taste, the sheer effort it took to roll each piece. Unique, individual.. Heather adored the food with quite the passion. A small squeal left her and it caused Chandler to turn and look at her with a raised brow. After their recent actions with one another, Heather knew she wouldn't really question her anymore. It was nice to be able to actually be herself around the girl in red now, it made her more than happy as she turned herself to look into Heather's eyes, taking her hands as they were able to walk right up, the couple ahead of them having been undecided in their order. 

"Can I order for us? Please? I already know that everything here is extraordinary!"

A little taken back by how excited the young dirty blonde was about simply ordering sushi, Chandler raised a brow as McNamara let go of her hand. Her silver eyes instantly flicked down to their hands and Heather must've noticed as she quickly took her hand back in her own, squeezing it as she tried to convince the girl in red to give her power away for a short moment. Chandler didn't really have much of a problem with letting the younger girl order for her, she was open to many different flavors and things, but giving up her power wasn't really one of them. As she went to say something, a near yell entered her ear, almost causing her to snap at the person until she realized who it was. 

"Ahhh! Ms. McNamara, kon'nichiwa!"  
_(Kon'nichiwa: Hello)_

Feeling Mac's hand leave her, Heather held back the want to frown as she watched Heather lock hands with the woman behind the counter. The older Japanese woman smiled brightly behind circular glasses as she nodded her head enthusiastically as she held McNamara's hand as if she were her own daughter. The way she so warmly held her hand almost made Chandler question it before she listened to their conversation.

"Kon'nichiwa, Mrs.Saito!" 

"How are you, Shin'aina?"  
_(Shin'aina: Dear)_

"I'm well, kimi wa?"   
_(Kimi wa: You)_

"Sate, sate. Ah-"   
_(Sate: Well)_

Before the woman spoke once more, she let go of Mac's hand, her gaze instantly looking to the girl in red beside her. Chandler had been standing rather close to Mac, seeming as though she were a lost puppy. Mrs.Saito picked up on this and let out a small series of tsk's as she looked back to the girl in red. 

"Hoka no josei?"   
_(Hoka no josei: Another girl?)_

Confused for a moment, Heather raised a brow until she followed Mrs.Saito's gaze and found it resting on the girl in red beside her. Blushing at the Saito's belief that Heather was her's made Heather chuckle as she shook her head, waving the woman off. A small frown entered her features for a moment. 

_I wish, Mrs.Saito.. I wish.._

"Watashi wa nozomu. Kanari tadashi?"   
_(I wish. Pretty right?)_

Chandler instantly felt a shiver down her spine as she realized they were talking about her. The older woman's eyes still resting on her as Mac spoke her language. It intrigued Chandler how Mac seemed to understand and fluently speak the language. It was astounding and just made Chandler fall more for the intelligent dirty blonde. 

"Kanari, tashikani."   
_(Pretty, indeed.)_

Chuckling at the older woman, Mac cut to the chase, smiling brightly and blushing a bit as she ordered. 

"Alright, alright. Time for you to get to work." 

Chandler's eyes widened at the near harsh comment, but it wasn't meant in a harsh way. The way the older woman behind the counter seemed to wave her hand off to Mac as if she were dismissing the girl made Heather raise a brow.

"Ah, I always work when you come. Good money, good heart, good person. The best for the best." 

Smiling brightly at this, Mac finished with their order.

"In that case, 4 Roe, 6 Philly, 6 California, 5 Spicy Tuna, and 12 Avocado Rolls. Also, 5 crab filled Temaki's and then 2 Eel Nigri's should suffice." 

The woman behind the counter rang up each order and Chandler just sat wide eyed. That was a lot of food. She wasn't sure she was going to eat it all, but Mac ordered for both of them. Each thing was something she loved.. She knew what to order and it amazed her. 

_Can she read my mind or something? What the f-_

"Feeding army?" 

Laughing at the comment, McNamara handed the woman $150 dollars and Chandler widened her eyes. She knew the woman, so it was obvious she would tip big, but what Heather hadn't seen was that the price came out to be $105 dollars. 

_$105 dollars worth of fucking sushi? You've got to be fucking kidding me._

"Arigato, watashi no shin'aianaru."   
_(Thank you, my dear.)_

"Doitashimashite."  
_(You're welcome.)_

As the older woman walked into the back to work on their order, Chandler instantly took Mac by the shoulders, pushing the girl against the counter as they stepped out of the way so other people could order to a younger woman. Chandler looked into bright blue eyes that filtered over with fear and Chandler instantly felt bad, but kept her hold on the girl's hips. 

"What the hell was that?" 

"W-What? I-I ordered for us! I eat a lot, s-" 

"No, Dipshit. You can speak Japanese?" 

Nodding her head out of fear, Heather gulped as she felt Heather's grip on her hips tighten just a tad. 

"Y-Yeah. I spent two years there. Mrs.Saito, believe it or not, was my tutor. I insisted on flying her to the United States when I heard her daughter moved here to live with her fiance." 

Heather slowly let go of the girl's hips as she heard the doors open and the woman once again smiled at them brightly. Mac grinned to Mrs.Saito as Chandler slowly took their food from the woman, thanking her promptly. As she went to take their food, the woman rested a soft hand on her knuckles, smiling warmly as Mac had begun to walk off, believing that Chandler was in tow. 

"Take good care of that one. She is good." 

Nodding her head to Mrs.Saito, Heather blushed fiercely as she followed after Mac quickly. When she reached the girl, Mac noticed her flushed features and chuckled quietly as they reached the table.

"$105 dollars worth of sushi right there." 

Heather muttered under her breath. It wasn't that she was upset with how much they had spent, she just found it highly unnecessary for them to spend that much on food. Mrs.Saito was a family friend to McNamara though, she should've expected nothing less of the beneficiary that seated herself. Hearing coughing, Heather looked to Duke as she tried to swallow her food without dying, clearly, astounded with how much Heather had spent. Sitting down next to the younger dirty blonde, Heather looked to Duke with a small shrug as McNamara began to divide their portions. She had begun talking about Japan and what it was like to live there and Heather slowly lost herself in her voice, a small smile resting upon her lips. Duke saw it.. God how she saw it. 

_I really hope you catch her, Heather. I really do._

* * *

 

 "So, what now?" 

The sun was slowly setting over the horizon as Mac entered the backseat of the bright neon green jeep. It was growing chilly, the upcoming autumn breeze sweeping through the parking lot as it reached Mac. A shiver ran down her spine as she closed the door behind her, she couldn't even be mad with how it seemingly dropped a good couple of degrees from their walk from the mall to the car. It was beautiful as she watched the dying sun for a moment, casting a sharp shade of magenta across the sky. Her eyes were bright and full of life, so different from how they were when they had first entered the car. A bright smile was plastered on her face as she crossed one leg over the other, waiting for someone to respond. 

"We go home." 

The simple reply is definitely something Heather didn't want to hear. The small burst of happiness that had presented itself simply came and left and Heather had to frown as she knew no one could see her, both older girls being up front. Disappointment was clear in her gaze as she slowly forced herself to relax. She didn't know why, but she had expected something more. It was a Saturday and they were just going to go home? Heather had half expected the girls to say they were going to go home and get ready to go out to the club or something. Someone here seemed like they had to have fake ID's.. 

"I have Chemistry and Algebra homework I need to do.. Both will take at least a few hours. Chem mostly." 

The annoyed response from Duke made her frown even deeper. Thinking about school when they didn't need to worry about it was something that definitely upset her. It was Saturday for Christ's sake! There had to be something more.. The more and more Mac hoped to convince herself that this was just a joke and that they all had somewhere else to go together, the more it hurt as she heard Chandler's words. 

"Fuck.. I wish there was something else to do. I don't wanna go home. My parents are just gonna constantly be up my ass." 

The sudden hit against the door caused Heather to jump as she slowly brought herself to sit in the middle of the back. She watched the cars go by in blurs as she listened to Heather continue to ramble on about her parents. They seemed like assholes.. The want to apologize for their behavior rang through Heather's mind, but she had no right to vouch for people she had never even met. Especially people that seemed to be hurting someone she had grown to care about in such a small period of time. As silence slowly ensued after Heather's small breakdown, Mac shook her head, speaking up instantly. It was horrible to end their fun there. She had been courageous before by asking to order their food, she could be courageous now! 

"Y-You can come and stay with me for the night." 

Hearing the offer, Duke slammed on the brakes as she almost ran a red light. It was near ironic as Mac let out a groan, grabbing the two seats in front of her to keep her from flying out the windshield. 

"You're not kidding?" 

Heather near instantly whips around in her seat. Silver eyes are near unreadable as Heather looks right back into bright blue eyes. Her heart seemed to skip a beat as Mac had offered her to spend the night. It sounded amazing.. She would happily spend the night with the younger girl. It would get her away from her annoying ass parents and she'd also be in good company.. Get to see the beautiful house.. God.. It sounds like Heaven. 

"Nope. Gets pretty lonely having no one around." 

Chandler looked to Duke, Duke looking right back at her. A mix of fear and joy filled Heather's eyes and Duke smiled softly as she saw it. It was nice to see the younger girl in red happy. It wasn't very often that she got to see the sight. If the girl in yellow could change that more often, Duke was going to like having McNamara around. Chandler wasn't very happy very often, it was that much Duke knew. She hated the fact that it was like that, but most days she couldn't do much to change that. It seemed like Mac could though.

Turning back around in her seat, Heather smiled as she looked out the windshield. Her silver eyes brightened as she watched the sun die down behind the near black clouds before them. It was a beautiful sight.. Everything just seemed to be falling into place as she opened her mouth to speak. The words almost didn't come to her, but she was more than glad when they did. Smooth, simple.. Sounded beautiful as they rolled off of her tongue, gave her hope that it would happen far more often. 

_"I happily accept then, Sunshine."_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing Times: 
> 
> Start Time:  
> 1:31 PM 
> 
> #1 Break:  
> 2:31 PM  
> (It's going to take forever because I keep getting cute ideas and it's driving me crazy because I'm indecisive af.) 
> 
> Break End:  
> 2:37 PM 
> 
> Break #2  
> 3:40 PM  
> (This chapter has three parts and I love it. It's really long and I just finished the first part. My back hurts from bending over my laptop so much. xD Save meee, I still have two parts to write.) 
> 
> Break End:  
> 3:55 PM  
> (I have the biggest headache but I wanna get part 2 done.) 
> 
> End Time:  
> 5:00 PM 
> 
> ~No revision!

**Author's Note:**

> Writing Time: 
> 
> Start Time: 
> 
> 1:10 PM
> 
> End Time: 
> 
> 2:47 PM 
> 
> ~Not revised for grammatical or spelling errors.  
> -FUN FACT: Duke's name kept autocorrecting to Dyke.


End file.
